3 NHL Players Who Need to Step Up Now

The NHL season’s heating up, and some big names aren’t living up to expectations. With playoff races tightening, teams can’t just sit around hoping things will magically get better.

When star players struggle, everything gets harder. Lines get mixed up, other players try to do too much, and suddenly those close games start slipping away.

Sure, sometimes it’s just a rough patch. Maybe there’s an injury we don’t know about, or a player’s trying to figure out a new system. But at some point, you need your best guys to be, well, your best guys.

Three players in particular have their teams worried right now.

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs tops the list. The team captain just hasn’t looked like himself this year.

He’s put up just 23 points in 30 games – and four of those came on empty-netters. For a guy who’s supposed to be one of the NHL’s most explosive players, that’s not cutting it.

What’s really concerning is how invisible he’s been during games. The Matthews we know is always in the middle of the action, creating chances and making things happen. These days, you can go whole periods without noticing him on the ice.

Down in Tampa Bay, Brayden Point is having his own issues. The Lightning have managed to stay competitive, but they’re going to need more from their top center.

Point’s missed some time with injuries, but even when he’s played, the numbers aren’t there. He’s got just 19 points in 28 games – nowhere near his usual 40-goal, 80-point pace.

The good news? He’s starting to look more like himself lately. The Lightning’s playoff hopes might depend on that continuing.

Out west, the Los Angeles Kings need more from Kevin Fiala. He might not get the attention of some other stars, but he’s usually one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

Fiala’s sitting at 23 points in 34 games. That’s not terrible, but it’s not the point-per-game production the Kings were counting on.

With the Kings struggling to score outside of Adrian Kempe, they desperately need Fiala to find his groove again if they want to keep up in the tough Pacific Division race.